Lifestyle

I had heard alot about this place before we moved to Al Barsha but still hadn't tried them out until this evening.† We actually drove over to their little outlet in Al Barsha and dined in their tiny quaint little restaurant.† It only seats about 10 people so don't drag a crowd over!!†

The food was outstanding, 100% freshly cooked, served in less than five minutes and ample portion sizing.† They offer two different portions sizes, regular or large, the regular was†more than†enough, †the large must be huge!!†† The menu whilst not extensive has a good range of different dishes from Stir Fried Beef in Oyster sauce to Fish in Red Curry sauce.† There is a selection of curries with a vegetarian alternative too.

Interestingly they do lunch combos starting at just 25 dhs, the Chicken Special looked particularly good; a Chicken Spring Roll, Green/Red/Penang Curry with Chicken and Steamed Jasmine Rice.

The do offer a delivery service too and you can order on line via their website.

I recently visited the Pullman Mall of the Emirates Hotel to have a little look around for myself. We have previously eaten in Sanabel and I have recommended it to many people so now it†was time to check out what is going on at the rooftop pool area.† The pool area itself is not overly big but there are two swimming pools side by side, some very comfortable sun loungers and a great view of the surrounding area.† One of the things I love about this hotel is that they have a poolside/health club menu that lists the calories of all their dishes which means if you are counting the calories you are in the right place!†

Their Sanctuary Spa area is just beautiful, the staff are attentive but not overly so which makes a change as I often find I feel harrassed into booking a treatment when I have been in other hotels.††† One deal I did find though that I think is fabulous is their "Ultimate Ladies Spa Experience" which is valid on Mondays.† For just 300 dhs you can have a 30 minute spa treatment of your choice followed by a healthy three course lunch, if that isn't enough you have use of the sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and swimming pool with complimentary tea and coffee!!!

I will be reviewing other hotel pool areas in the coming months and have decided to list†a few things which may help you decide which pool area to choose if you are planning a chill out day so here goes:

Wanting a quick bite but a healthy low calorie one today, and having a moaning child who was requesting chicken nuggets I tried a McDonalds Salad.† Today is not the first time I have had one but KFC had sold out of salads and McDonalds was my only option.† It did serve to remind me however that I will never try one again.

I tentatively ordered a chicken ceasar salad ... do they honestly think that a handful of shredded Iceberg lettuce, with dried out grated parmesan cheese and bland white boiled chicken really constitutes a salad?† On top of that they don't actually sell a ceasar salad dressing to go with it so I had thousand island, which was absolutely awful.† Even their little packet of croutons were dry and looked like a chopped up cardboard box.

In my opinion, I have say that the best chicken ceasar salad from any of these outlets is the Burger King one, fresh ingredients including cherry tomatoes, sweetcorn, lettuce, cucumber and a rich creamy ceasar sauce with crispy croutons served with fresh hot chicken is a winner by a long shot.

I was a teenager in the 80's, I hit the age of 15 just as we entered into one of the best musical decades of the last century, in my opinion of course most of us tend to prefer the decade that we were teenagers in.† Looking back on those teenage years now it has made me realise how much the music of that era has influenced me right through my life.

Taking myself back to one of my favourite artists of all time and the 70's, I remember watching this amazing†man perform on stage, that man was Marc Bolan, he fascinated me with his corkscrew hair and eye liner. I think I was about ten at the time.† The fascination continued†from the†glam rock era into the early/mid 80's when my passion for men who were not afraid to share their feminine side so to say was totally indulged, David Bowie was huge; as he had been right through the 70's, I adored him thought he was amazing, it was through one of his videos that I came across Steve Strange, then later, Boy George, Marc Almond, Adam Ant.† They WERE the 80's with the odd rock band thrown in for good measure.† The mid eighties saw George Michael reach huge success, again I was in love!†

Obviously I took it upon myself to be a New Romantic and to this day still prefer the romantic style of dressing, though mastering it these days is harder than it was when I was a teenager!† I heard today that the man who in my opinion epitomises the New Romantic era is in town, the one and only front man of Visage, Steve Strange himself. He will never be strange to me, just a man who was true to himself in a decade where men were allowed to express themselves visually, emotionally and musically.††It is 30 years since my affair†with men and make up began, it has been something that all my friends know and love me for, it is a standing joke at any event that I will always prefer the one in the guy liner.

Last night saw the start of This is England 88, a hard hitting drama about the 80's, having seen the movie and the first series This is England 86, I look forward to been thrown back into the 80's later this evening.† There are some characters in all these series that remind me of friends I had in the 80's.

Anyway whatever era is your era I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed mine. Good luck in Dubai Steve, you never were and never will be one man on a lonely platform ....

I love all soups but my favourite when I am out and about in Dubai is the fantastic mushroom soup at Biella.† I know I have mentioned Biella before on this site but it is just a coincidence, I promise you.† We were down at Wafi yesterday and nipped into Biella for lunch. Perfect location at this time of year as there is a super little outdoor terrace. Wafi these days is so quiet during the day we practically had the Terrace all to ourselves.† I also think that the bread basket at Biella is one of the best as well, with french butter or fabulous olive oil and balsamic vinegar. So if you are fancying some nice fresh rich creamy mushroom soup, then Biella is a must!